Nicolas Sarkozy lashed out at a journalist on live television after she raised allegations about him receiving £42million from Colonel Gaddafi.

The French President accused Laurent Ferrari of acting like a 'spokeswoman for Gaddafi's son' after she raised the matter at the beginning of a question-and-answer programme.

Mr Sarkozy added: 'It's grotesque and I am sorry that I am being interrogated about declarations of Gaddafi or his son on an important channel like TF1.'

Clash: Nicolas Sarkozy (left) accused Laurent Ferrari (right) of acting like a 'spokeswoman for Gaddafi's son' after she raised allegations about him receiving £42million from the former Libyan dictator

Anger: Nicolas Sarkozy (left) lashed out at a journalist on live television after she raised allegations about him receiving £42million from Colonel Gaddafi (right)

But Mr Sarkozy, who is standing for re-election in two months' time, failed to address the contents of a leaked governmental note which suggests his 2007 campaign was funded by the Libyan dictator.

'If he had financed it, then I haven't been very grateful,' said Mr Sarkozy, who was once a close ally of Gaddafi until launching French jets and missiles to support the revolt which led to his murder last year.

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A year ago, Gaddafi's son, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, called Mr Sarkozy a 'clown' and said he should 'pay back' the money he taken from the Libyan people'.

Attacking Ms Ferrari last night, Mr Sarkozy said: 'I am sorry for you that you are the spokeswoman for Gaddafi's son.

Bitter: Nicolas Sarkozy said the questioning was 'grotesque' was 'sorry' he was being interrogated about declarations of Gaddafi or his son on an important channel like TF1

Close: Extraordinary evidence made public in Paris is said to prove that the two former close allies had an illegal financial arrangement which propelled Mr Sarkozy to power in 2007

'Gaddafi, who is known for talking nonsense, even said that there were cheques. Well then the son should just go ahead and produce them then.'

SARKOZY TAKES LEAD IN POLLS

French President Nicolas Sarkozy overtook Socialist challenger Francois Hollande for the first time today in an opinion poll on the first round of France's April/May election.

It came due to him attacking the European Union's trade and immigration policies.

But the conservative incumbent was still shown losing to Hollande in a second-round runoff, but by a narrower margin.

Sarkozy's poll boost came as far-right leader Marine Le Pen, ranked third in polls, said she had secured the 500 official sponsors needed to enter the presidential contest.

Candidates have until Friday to obtain the requisite backing of 500 elected officials to compete in the April 22 first round, after which the two frontrunners face off in a May 6 runoff.

In fact the briefing note, leaked by investigative news site Mediapart, makes no mention of cheques - instead suggesting that hard cash was paid to the Sarkozy camp through secret bank accounts in Panama and Switzerland.

A meeting between Mr Sarkozy and his aides, which is referred to in the note as having taken place on October 6th 2005, led to 'campaign finance to NS (Nicolas Sarkozy)' being 'totally solved'.

At the time Mr Sarkozy was an ambitious Interior Minister who was raising money for his presidential election campaign, even though taking cash from a notorious tyrant would have broken political financing laws.

Mediapart claims that €50million referred to in the note was laundered through accounts including a Swiss one opened in the name of the sister of Jean-Francois Cope, the leader of Mr Sarkozy's ruling UMP party.

The money was then distributed through an arms dealer called Ziad Takieddine, who was used to acting as a middle man between Arab despots and French politicians.

Eyebrows were raised when Colonel Gaddafi was honoured with a state visit to Paris in late 2007, just after Mr Sarkozy became president.

He was referred to as the 'Brother Leader' by the French, and allowed to pitch his trademark tent next to the Elysee Palace.

Bernard Cazeneuve, spokesman for Socialist presidential candidate Francois Hollande, said: 'Anyone could have been legitimately surprised by how Gaddafi was received by the current government until not that long ago.'

Betrayal: But ultimately Nicolas Sarkozy (left) turned on Colonel Gaddafi (right) as French jets were the first to attack Libya